Teenage Heartbreak, Sour by Olivia Rodrigo, Become the Highlight of Our Early 20’s
There’s no way no one heard about teenage sensasion Olivia Rodrigo. Won a singing contest at the age of 8, staring in iconic reboot High School Musical: the musical: the series, successfully putting mega hit with her first debut song in the series titled ‘All I Want’, released her first ever single ‘Driver’s License’ and Olivia Rodrigo shocked OG fans with her new tracklist recent album, Sour, has been blowing up on the internet ever since it came out.
Comment goes on, saying she’s a one hit wonder. With an up beat, dreamy, melachonly lyrics in Deja Vu, that reached its peak at number 3 on US Billboard Hot 100. Olivia Rodrigo has proven, she’s, in fact, not a one hit wonder. Rolling Stones, Billboard and Metacritics claimed, Sour will be the best contender of Best Pop Album Of The Year. With fresh, heartbreak anthem, and skipless tracks, Sour launches as no. 1 on Billboard top 200, broke multiple charts records including surpassing Taylor Swift debut record on ‘Taylor Swift’ over a decade ago.
Not without its own critics, others has compared Olivia with many succesful artist. Claimed she’s the next Lorde or Taylor Swift. Which she denied in recent inteview with Hits Radio that says ‘they’ll never be another Taylor Swift’.
Although, Taylor and Olivia has a spesific writing when it comes to bridges, we can never compare them two or even ranked them. Yes, there was a bit deja vu moment in every bridge Olivia wrote, but she stated herself in Hot Ones interview with Sean in First We Feast, ‘i think it’s just great to give a different perspective on bridges, that we don’t really see in other verses’. Many can tell about drama and comparison, but every artists is unique in their own way and we all can agree the fact that Olivia, is indeed, the first Olivia Rodrigo.
Still, Sour received judgement from her cover album and heartbroken tracks. It doesn’t really sum up every element and emotion that Olivia Rodrigo has said in every tracks. Whilst her alternative artwork on Target Album is very much ‘chick’ and adds more range – the actual standart artwork, is pretty iconic if we can think about it. It is one of those covers you will find it ‘lack’ at first but as soon as you buy the copies, it’ll stuck on your brain.
Couple of song critics (to put it simply: noisy anonymous Twitter account) has said her album is so teenage and childlike, only mention about boys and heartbreak. Seemed familiar, huh? We often found comment like this hanging around every young debut artists. Same goes with Taylor Swift, Lorde, Billie Eilllish. We should give every heartbroken teenagers a chance to be fully free and creative, to be bold and fierce in exploited music industry dominated by men and status privileges.
Hold your negative thoughts off, play Sour on high volumes, because there’s something about women’s adoration in ‘Deja Vu’, bitter post-break up feelings in ‘Good 4 U’ (combine with early pop punk ‘90s sound), toxicity in social media with ‘Jealousy Jealousy’. Insecurities, anger, expectation we once had in ‘Brutal’. She combines ballad, synth, pop punk, and acoustic, raw and honest teenage angsty lyrics all in one whole package of Sour, that even if, you’re not a fan of Pop music, you still, might, find it relatable. Remind you a bit, about how all teenagers supposed to act and feels. We’ve all been there.
Yes, everyone’s turning 20 in the middle pandemic. Suddenly think that Sour is too ‘high school’ for your own taste, but let’s give benefit of the doubt and let Spicy Pisces, Olivia Rodrigo, rides white mercedes in Malibu, because she is slowly (of course surely) become one of important highlight in our early 20’s. Or ‘30. Even 40’s. Older people can rock on Tiktok too.
